Cowboys' NFL Draft Grade Point Average Gives Jerry Jones Well-Deserved Credit

As if we needed more evidence to know that Jerry Jones cooked in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys' GPA proves it.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Now that the dust has settled from the NFL Draft and experts have given their grades for every team, it's time to round it all up and see how the Dallas Cowboys fared overall.

Dallas' NFL Draft class was widely considered one of the better ones when it came to grades from experts. It isn't often the Cowboys get to say that, but here we are.

According to NFL analyst Rene Bugner, who compiled grades from 24 different experts to come up with a grade point average (GPA) for each team, the Cowboys sported the fifth-best with a GPA of 3.55.

The Cowboys' highest grade from experts was an "A," which they received eight of. The lowest grade was a "B-" from Yahoo Sports.

The only NFC East team to do better than Dallas was the New York Giants, who scored a GPA of 3.68. The Giants were also the only team in the entire conference to better the Cowboys' mark.

Why Cowboys crushed the NFL Draft

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's not hard to see why the Cowboys did as well as they did in expert grades.

Dallas needed to attack the defensive side of the ball in a big way, and Jerry Jones did just that, giving Christian Parker everything he wanted. The Cowboys also got some great value with their picks, and especially with safety Caleb Downs.

Downs can cure multiple ills on Dallas' defense with his ability to play both safety spots and at nickel cornerback, something he said he's capable and willing to do.

The Cowboys needed an edge rusher and linebacker, and Jerry delivered with the picks of UCF's Malachi Lawrence and Michigan's Jaishawn Barham, who can play edge rusher and linebacker.

On Day 3, the Cowboys attacked more needs.

They added Penn State's Drew Shelton for some much-needed depth on the offensive line, both at guard and tackle, and the pick of Florida's Devin Moore gives Parker another cornerback option behind Shavon Revel and DaRon Bland.

With Alabama's LT Overton, the Cowboys have someone who can slide in at interior defensive line or edge rusher. East Carolina's Anthony Smith is an intriguing wideout with elite speed and potential returner ability.

Of course, we won't know for sure just how much Jerry cooked with this draft class for a few years, as these players haven't even hit the practice field yet, let alone played in a game.

But when it comes to what the Cowboys needed, there's no doubt Jerry and the rest of the Cowboys' war room did what was necessary and all is well in Dallas.